Helpdesk Auto-Assignment in Odoo 18
By Braincuber Team
Published on December 26, 2025
Support managers manually assigning incoming tickets create chaos: urgent customer issues sit unassigned because team lead is in meetings, veteran agents cherry-pick easy tickets leaving complex cases for junior staff, agents on vacation continue receiving assignments creating response delays, and workload imbalance burns out top performers while others handle half the volume—all requiring constant manual rebalancing that consumes manager time.
Odoo 18's Automatic Helpdesk Ticket Assignment eliminates manual distribution by intelligently routing tickets based on configurable rules. Choose equal lifetime distribution (everyone gets same total tickets) or balanced active workload (everyone has same open tickets currently), auto-exclude agents on time off from rotation, ensure fair assignment across team preventing cherry-picking, and scale effortlessly as team grows—all without manager intervention.
Auto-Assignment Features:
- Two assignment strategies (equal total/equal open)
- Auto-exclude users on time off
- Fair distribution prevents cherry-picking
- Round-robin rotation
- Visibility controls (internal/portal users)
- Team member management
- Zero manual intervention required
Assignment Strategies Explained
Equal Total Tickets
Odoo tracks lifetime ticket count per agent—ensures everyone gets same total over time.
Example:
Agent A: 100 total (50 open, 50 closed)
Agent B: 98 total (20 open, 78 closed)
Next 2 tickets → Agent B
Use when: Long-term fairness matters more than current load
Equal Open Tickets
Odoo tracks current open tickets—balances active workload in real-time.
Example:
Agent A: 8 open tickets
Agent B: 3 open tickets
Next 5 tickets → Agent B
Use when: Current workload balance critical (recommended)
Configuring Auto-Assignment
Step 1: Access Team Settings
- Open Helpdesk module
- Navigate to
Configuration→Teams - Select team to configure (e.g., "Customer Care")
- Scroll to "Assignment & Visibility" section
Step 2: Enable Automatic Assignment
- Check "Automatic Assignment" checkbox
- Select assignment method:
- Equal number of tickets (lifetime): Historical fairness
- Equal number of open tickets: Current workload balance ✅
- System auto-excludes users on Time Off
Step 3: Add Team Members
- In same section, find "Team Members" field
- Add agents who should receive tickets
- Only listed members eligible for auto-assignment
Important: If employee not in Team Members list, they won't receive automatic assignments even if part of broader Helpdesk access group.
Visibility Settings
Three Visibility Options
| Option | Who Sees Tickets | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Invited Internal Users | Only followers + admins | Confidential support teams |
| All Internal Users | Everyone in company | Transparent support (recommended) |
| Invited Portal + All Internal | Internal: all, Portal: followers only | Customer self-service portal |
How Assignment Works
Assignment Flow:
Ticket Created
Customer submits ticket via email, form, or portal
Odoo Evaluates Team Members
Excludes anyone on time off, checks assignment method setting
Calculates Next Agent
Based on method: agent with fewest total tickets OR fewest open tickets
Auto-Assigns Ticket
Agent sees ticket in their queue, receives notification
Best Practices
Use Equal Open Tickets
Balances current workload prevents agent burnout. Veteran handling 15 tickets shouldn't get more while teammate has 3.
Keep Time Off Updated
System only excludes agents with formal Time Off records. Ensure HR module synced with vacation schedules.
Review Assignment Logs
Periodically check ticket distribution reports—if one agent consistently gets fewer, investigate (maybe closing tickets too fast vs actually handling).
Create Specialized Teams
Separate teams for Technical Support vs Billing vs Sales queries—assign experts to relevant teams, auto-route by category.
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion
Odoo 18's Automatic Helpdesk Ticket Assignment eliminates manual distribution chaos by intelligently routing tickets based on fair workload algorithms. Choose lifetime equity or real-time balance, auto-exclude vacationing agents, and ensure transparent support operations through visibility controls—all without manager intervention.
Need Helpdesk Optimization?
Our support specialists can configure assignment rules, set up SLAs, integrate with email systems, and train teams on efficient ticket handling.